In many ways it did my ever aging heart good to see average citizens rally for a cause, any cause, last week.

Americans, by nature, are lazy, especially when it comes to politics. It happens to all of us. We get too accustomed to the good life. I’ve long said most people don’t follow politics enough. Many can’t tell you when the next election is much less tell you who is running for office.

So when events like the one held across the country April 15 are held with such enthusiasm, you have to be encouraged. Maybe there is hope yet.

For me, the message put worth last week was great as well. As an average, blue-collar, in-the-trenches American worker, I’ve always looked at my paycheck and had to grit my teeth at all the taxes being taken away. I’m not one of those executives who gets million-dollar bonuses for sinking the company in the ground; I’m a grunt man, fighting for every cent I take home.

Hard working Americans, those who struggle to make ends meet, are rightfully fed up with being taxed into the poor house. We see our companies close and those who ran them in the ground get extra money for doing so. (We then hear millionaire talk show hosts defend the practice.) We go to work each day hoping our jobs will still be there. We pray for a little raise each year, one that will maybe, just maybe, keep up with the massive cost of living increases.

Still, despite the massive protests on Tax Day last week, there is a single point most are missing. There is a solution to this problem although it is going to take some thinking outside the box. Until Americans realize that the worn out two-party system is broken, things are not going to change. We can protest all day and all night, but if we keep sending the same old Democrats and Republicans back to office, nothing will ever change.

I began voting for Libertarian candidates back in 1990, not long after I reached the age of 18. I’ve cast my vote for numerous candidates with an “L” by their name since. This past presidential election saw my vote go to Bob Barr.

Libertarians were against the overtaxing of Americans long before this recent round of protest, long before many finally saw the light. They’ve been screaming about this for decades but Americans have been asleep at the wheel. Now that so many have finally been shaken out of their slumber, perhaps there is hope for change. (A favorite Libertarian joke: What’s the difference between Democrats and Republicans? Democrats steal from your left pocket while Republicans steal from your right.)

In Georgia, we have an excellent opportunity to shake up the establishment in the 2010 governor’s race. John Monds is running for the Libertarian Party. Monds campaigned for a seat on the Public Service Commission last year and became the first Libertarian candidate in this state to surpass the one million vote mark. Running head-to-head against a Republican, Monds even carried some counties outright.

Make a statement Georgians. Elect a Libertarian as governor. Then start electing Libertarian candidates at the local level. Let the status quo know what has been going on will no longer be tolerated. I guarantee you Monds will cut taxes left and right.

We can continue to protest until the cows come home, but until a real jolt is sent through the electoral process, nothing is going to change. The Democrats aren’t going to change it. The Republicans aren’t going to change. You have a choice. You seem to have had your eyes opened. Now do something about it.

Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. He can be reached at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.

Londs is the idiot who complained about too much money going to yankee-land NY. Anyone who makes such a comment is either a fool or a liar and is not worth arguing with. Also, the Libertarian party's presidential nominee in 2000, on the official party web site subsequent to 9/11, said, in essence, we had it coming. Such naive and hateful sentiments are, along with the unacceptable position on drugs, why this party will never elect anyone to any significant public office. Yes, throw your vote away and vote Libertarian, the party which thinks deliver the mail & defend the borders is the way to go.

I suppose, when you could not rebut the substance of the charges made, you had to resort to posing as the grammar-police. But, even then, you failed to cite with specificity the alleged grammatical lapses. I suspect that you are confused -- about a great many things. Let's stick to facts, shall we? The vast majority of Americans have rejected at the polls, time & again, the so-call "libertarian" candidates. (Please cite one instance where a "libertarian" has been elected senator, governor, congressman, or dog catcher.)
Next, as previously referenced, subsequent to the events of 9/11, the libertarian party, on its official web site posted remarks by its titular head that America deserved what has just happened. Would it be fair to characterize such as sentiment as one that, to put it mildly, is not shared by the majority of U.s. citizens?
Finally, this so-called party has long stood for the legalization of drugs. Again, most Americans are not in harmony with this position.
So, you must deal with the unhappy fact that your candidate is not going to be elected governor of Georgia next year. In fact, for the most part, he will be ignored. Most of the attention he garners will be as the representative of the nut-fringe element. I am sorry I got his name wrong; that is undoubtedly a phenomenon to which he is accustomed.

several of your arguments could also be linked to the GOP. "most Americans are not in harmony with this position" and "most of the attention (they) garners will be as the representative of the nut-fringe element". if the shoe fits, wear it!!

So there's no point in having the teaparties because we're not all Libertarians? Huh? The author admits he was affected by the grass roots movement, but concludes it's all worthless because noone votes Libertarian.

Darren is 100% correct. Libertarian philosophy will take you to some kooky places, like legalizing drugs, or isolationism. It will never be mainstream in the US, much less in Winder Ga

If you keep voting for Republicans (and Democrats) the tax system will NEVER change.

You can't keep doing the same thing election after election and expect different results.

And there are more Libertarians in Barrow County than you think!

Add Comment

Name

Email

Homepage

In reply to

Comment

E-Mail addresses will not be displayed and will only be used for E-Mail notifications.

To leave a comment you must approve it via e-mail, which will be sent to your address after submission.

To prevent automated Bots from commentspamming, please enter the string you see in the image below in the appropriate input box. Your comment will only be submitted if the strings match. Please ensure that your browser supports and accepts cookies, or your comment cannot be verified correctly.Enter the string from the spam-prevention image above: